The Original Award Winning Wild Wicklow Tour incl. Glendalough
Description
Unlike other tours, our smaller coach takes you on a journey far beyond the main roads, giving you access to secluded valleys, breathtaking scenery, and the most awe-inspiring viewpoints of the Wicklow Mountains. Our expert local guides deliver an exceptional day out with a personal touch, making this the tour you’ll be talking about for years. Highlights Scenic drive along Dublin’s southern coast Walk up Killiney Hill Visit Avoca Handweavers Kilmacanogue Journey deeper into the Wicklow Mountains to see the dramatic beauty of the Sally Gap. Rolling heather fields, rugged peaks, endless boglands and the fabulous Guinness Lake. Glendalough Our expert guide delves into its rich history. A tranquil, picturesque valley of stunning natural beauty. The Lakes With 60 minutes to explore, take in the sweeping views. Experience the stillness and serenity that have attracted visitors for centuries. Conclude your day with a taste of Glendalough Whiskey, the perfect way to end a wonderful day.
Tour Options
Itinerary
In the morning, meet your guide and coach at one of the central Dublin pickup locations. Grab a comfortable seat and enjoy the drive out of the city. As we leave the city we will take you along the coast to arrive at Killiney Hill. Here we bring you on a short walk to take in the spectacular views of Dublin Bay, Then cut away form the city and take in rocky coastal scenery as you head into the Wicklow Mountains.
This stop brings you to Avoca Handweavers, Kilmacanogue. Enjoy a coffee and homemade scone or shop for fine handmade goods (own expense).
We leave Avoca and take a route that the big tour coaches can't, through Enniskerry and Glencree and deep into the real Wild Wicklow Mountains and Sally Gap.
Continuing our drive through the Wicklow Mountains National Park and Sally Gap. View the park’s upper slopes, blanketed in heather and bog before stopping at Lough Tay (The Guinness Lake" ) a true wonder and film location for Braveheart, PS I Love You and Vikings TV series.
Afterward, your group will visit a traditional Irish pub for lunch (own expense). Relax, savour Irish home-cooking and sip on a creamy Guinness before heading to the glacial valley of Glendalough. Alternative options available if a pub lunch is not your thing. Ask you guide for info.
Throughout history, visitors have come to ‘the valley of the two lakes’ for its mystical history, archaeology, and unique wildlife. The monastic city of Glendalough, founded in the 6th century by St. Kevin, was once an active locale featuring areas for manuscript writing and copying, an infirmary, guest houses, and a monastery. Now it offers guests a peek into Ireland’s rich cultural history. Enjoy a guided tour of the many sites including the Round Tower, and have some free time to explore on your own. Here you have the option to walk to the Upper lake though ancient forests.
Back on the luxury Coach for a free tot of Glendalough Whiskey. Time to talk and think as you start back on our return journey to Dublin.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Minimum age is 5 years (this tour is not suitable for infants)
- Minimum numbers apply in winter months. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there is not enough passengers to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or full refund
Reviews(3,595)
An absolutely amazing day! Starting with a great windshield tour of Dublin, our guide, Jim, provided us with great information. He played a great playlist to keep the tour rolling. All the sights and history were fantastic. The lunch stop was the best meal of our vacation — Wicklow venison sausage at Hotel Laragh was delicious.
An excellent blend between facts about the Dublin and Wicklow area and Ireland as a whole. Geographical, geological, historical, botanical and many more information was given.
We had a very comfortable ride to several locations. Multiple stops were made to roam around, take pictures of the best views or visit the W.C.. During the trip Jim shared his great knowledge of the fauna, flora and rich history of Dublin and surroundings, a very fun and educative day
Such aa great tour! Great sights and Great tour guide Knowledgeable and funny Accommodated my mobility issues. And made the trip more enjoyable!
Thanks a million for the lovely review! Delighted you enjoyed the sights and that your guide’s knowledge, humour and accommodation of your mobility needs made the day even better.
My husband and I are visiting Ireland for the first time and this tour was a great way to get out of the city and see the countryside of this beautiful country! Our guide Jim was great. He was efficient, knowledgeable and a very skilled driver (esp on the mountain roads). We first stopped for a short uphill hike to see Dublin Bay and other sites. Be prepared with good walking shoes, binoculars and a camera. We then had a 15 min stop at a lovely rest stop Avoka gardens which had bathrooms, a cafe, a quick stop market and pretty gardens. Next we drove up into the hills for 3 quick stops and lovely views. Our 1 hr lunch stop was in Laragh at a wonderful pub. Split the ploughmans lunch or try the venison sausage plate both excellent. We then drove 5 min on to our final destination Glendalough. Jim led us on a quick 15 min tour of the Monastic ruins and St Kevin’s kitchen. We then were able to walk off lunch on the paved path to the second parking lot, which takes 10-15 minutes to walk. There were several snack trucks there plus a bathroom. After a quick shot of whiskey for us (slainte!) we loaded back onto the bus and were treated to an awesome playlist of Irish bands (U2, The Cranberries, Hozier, etc) on the 25 minute ride back, a quicker route on the motorway. We are sometimes hesitant to do tours bc they can be boring, or not live up to expectations. This one, however, more than lived up to our expectations!! Make sure you do this one!
Thanks a million for such a brilliant and detailed review! Jim will be delighted that his knowledge, driving and Irish playlist all helped the day more than live up to expectations.
Excellent tour. The Wicklow Mountains were just beautiful, stunning with heather, bracken and gorse. Jim, our driver and guide, was terrific and his love of Co Wicklow shone through.
Thanks a million, Vicki! Delighted you enjoyed the beauty of the Wicklow Mountains, especially with the heather, bracken and gorse in colour
Jim was ecsellent - had a fun day
Great to hear you had a fun day, and Jim will be delighted with the kind words.
Ashley was a brilliant guide. I have been meaning to write this review for ages - we did this tour in October 2025! It was at the beginning of a 4.5 week driving holiday around Ireland, including the Northern part of Ireland. Ashley's social, political, historical and cultural knowledge was phenomenal! Throughout our holiday from there on, whenever we took a guided walk, or a museum etc, my husband and I would turn to each other and say - Ashley told us about this, or, That's exactly what Ashley said. It was a great set up for our trip as was our visit to Kilmainham Gaol. It was a great day overall, and it was lovely to be taken care of by a local. His recollections of visiting the area as a child and telling us about the system of people using patches for harvesting their fuel was fascinating. Lunch at a cute pub was delicious, and we stopped at the Avoca Kilmacanogue Co. Wicklow. I'm visiting Ireland again next month (from Australia) and want to go back to this place! Highly recommended! I hope Ashley gets to see this - he was one of our favourite guides on our entire 7-week long holiday.
Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a thoughtful review, even months after travelling with us! Ashley will be absolutely delighted to know that his stories and knowledge stayed with you throughout your whole Ireland trip. We’re thrilled he was one of your favourite guides of the holiday.
Lots of beautiful photos and a knowledgeable tour guide. The places we went were beautiful, lunch was delicious, and the bus was comfortable.
Great to hear your guide’s knowledge helped make the day even better.
John was a fantastic guide. He was well informed and made sure that we knew the present pass and future of every spot we made. was very accommodating throughout the entire trip and made for a pleasurable experience.
John will be delighted to hear that his knowledge and care helped make the day so enjoyable.
